Production of Third Generation Toyota Avensis Commences

The Avensis sedan is now in production and the upgraded model will be on European roads as of next month.

The facelifted Avensis was unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show back in September and production has now commenced.The car is being built at Toyota Burnaston, the carmaker's largest European site, and deliveries will take place from next month. "This is great news for Burnaston, we are proud to be starting work on the new Avensis, a car that is central to Toyota's European strategy and a key model for the UK." said Tony Walker, Toyota Manufacturing UK Deputy Managing Director.

"British-built, and with petrol engines sourced from Toyota's Deeside factory plus ultra-efficient diesels, it is a stronger market contender than ever before." Cosmetic upgrades on the 2012 model include a new upper grille, a more aggressive lower grille, new headlamps incorporating LEDs on the side, new fog lamps, and alloys. A revised 2.0-liter D-4D engine sits under the hood that reduces CO2 emissions by 20g/km. Equipped with a turbocharger, the 124hp produced by the greener engine is distributed to the wheels via a six-speed manual. Prices for the Avensis remain unchanged and start from £18,450 for the 1.8-liter Valvematic T2 saloon.